Willingness to pay higher environmental taxes in selected European countries: An empirical analysis

Environmental taxes are increasingly recognized as a pivotal mechanism for promoting ecological sustainability. This study examines the willingness to pay higher environmental taxes, with a focus on non-economic factors across six European countries: France, Spain, Norway, Slovakia, Hungary, and Croatia, utilizing data from the International Social Survey Programme 2020 – Environment IV. The analysis revealed that respondents from France, Norway, and Spain demonstrated a greater willingness to pay higher green taxes compared to those from Slovakia, Croatia, and Hungary. Moreover, the findings indicate that environmental attitudes, such as environmental concerns, the perception of environmental threats, and the impact of environmental problems on everyday life, as well as education, followed by social and political trust, serve as important predictors of the willingness to pay higher ecological taxes. However, their influence varies across countries. These results underscore the importance of understanding country-specific characteristics to develop more targeted policies and strategies aimed at promoting ecological behaviors, particularly in enhancing support for environmental taxes.